Looks like I need to do my RINGS. Anything else?

What ignition, and coils do you have on the bike. If you have points OR the OE stock coils, you might have a week spark and that will fowl plugs every time. I would make sure you have a good electronic Ignition installed and an appropriate pair of GOOD hi-output after-market coils. The Dyna-S or equivalent ignition should be on the bike and a hot set of 3-Ohm coils to compliment that ignition. This should take care of any plug fowling. The simplest way to check if you have after-market coils is if they are any color BUT BLACK, or if the plug wires are replaceable. I have found that a set of ACCEL #142 plugs works about the best on these bikes. These plugs are the modern equivalent to the Denso W24ES-U. I also agree with the others about the valve stem seals. If the head has never been off the bike than the seals are GUARANTEED to be bad.

Usually, old hardened leaky valve stem seals are not a critical issue, and don't cause a problem except for some temporary exhaust smoke for a few moments when a cold engine is started, and then stops smoking as accumulated oil is burned and the seals warm and soften.

When a warm engine is stopped running (and the bike parked), the oil around the intake valve buckets seeps past the imperfect valve stem seals where it puddles to be later drawn into the combustion chamber upon next starting the engine.

Good Fortune!

iamkalaniprince wrote: Going to get a comp gauge tomorrow..

One thing people constantly forget to do is run a compression test without having the THROTTLE WIDE OPEN! So make sure you read up (or watch on Youtube) the proper procedure.

One thing people constantly forget to do is run a compression test without having the THROTTLE WIDE OPEN! So make sure you read up (or watch on Youtube) the proper procedure.

And removing the spark source/fuel :silly:

Second the recommendation to replace the coil if it is the original. They don't age well and weak spark will foul plugs.

Patton wrote: Usually, old hardened leaky valve stem seals are not a critical issue, and don't cause a problem except for some temporary exhaust smoke for a few moments when a cold engine is started, and then stops smoking as accumulated oil is burned and the seals warm and soften.

When a warm engine is stopped running (and the bike parked), the oil around the intake valve buckets seeps past the imperfect valve stem seals where it puddles to be later drawn into the combustion chamber upon next starting the engine.

On mine it would always run down and get on the left spark plug and foul it. When I pulled the head, you could see the gunk trail from it.

iamkalaniprince wrote: would this be one potential culprit to replace?

www.z1enterprises.com/Valve-Stem-Seal-Kawasaki-101.aspx

That's the valve seal. I recommend getting VITON seals to do the head job as they are far superior to rubber and only cost a few bucks more. I see them on ebay all the time.

bountyhunter wrote:

Patton wrote: Usually, old hardened leaky valve stem seals are not a critical issue, and don't cause a problem except for some temporary exhaust smoke for a few moments when a cold engine is started, and then stops smoking as accumulated oil is burned and the seals warm and soften.

When a warm engine is stopped running (and the bike parked), the oil around the intake valve buckets seeps past the imperfect valve stem seals where it puddles to be later drawn into the combustion chamber upon next starting the engine.

On mine it would always run down and get on the left spark plug and foul it. When I pulled the head, you could see the gunk trail from it.

This might be partially attributable to parking on the side stand, where bike is leaning to the left, whereby more oil could accumulate toward the left intake valve stem.

Good Fortune!

The biggest mistake people make when assessing piston ring condition is to draw conclusions based on mileage. While it's relevant, it can also be misleading.

Air cooled engines can most definitely require a set of rings in 26000 miles. It might also go 40,000 miles and not require new rings. Care and maintenance during it's lifetime is the main factor in how quickly the top end of those engines wear out.

Assume Nothing! Verify your concerns with proper testing instead.

That said, the only way to accurately assess the sealing health of the cylinders is from a leak down test and only after a valve lash check / adjustment has first been performed.

I think what they are telling you is to be careful of the Mobile Mechanic that you are using. No one would pull the Top End Down to put in a fresh set of rings without redoing the head. Make sure you use someone who has the needed experience for this work.

Motor Head wrote: I think what they are telling you is to be careful of the Mobile Mechanic that you are using. No one would pull the Top End Down to put in a fresh set of rings without redoing the head. Make sure you use someone who has the needed experience for this work.

happens on here all the time! :woohoo:

Just to be clear...... I'm not saying anything negative about the Mobile Mechanic. I don't like it when conclusions are drawn without empirical support. An awful lot of what gets discussed in forums seems to be based on assumptions. I see that in about 98% of the posts.

The only area where it's occasionally acceptable to take a guess is with electrical components and even then, it's not cool. However with variances in multi meters, misprints in service manuals, etc, it's sometimes not possible to initially nail down a failed electrical component.

The mechanical aspects of the engine are entirely another matter. Testing and visual observation will allow you to draw accurate conclusions. That leads to money spent wisely rather than pissed into a dark hole of doubt......